Winning a $459,556 Cash 5 jackpot means James Alston of Durham can start 2017 by paying off his car and mortgage.
Alston, a shipping foreman, beat the odds of 1 in 749,398 to match all five numbers in Friday’s drawing. He found out he won the next morning, on New Year’s Eve.
“I was up at 5:30 that morning with my cup of coffee,” Alston said. “I logged onto the computer to check the numbers and stood up three times. I knocked over my coffee.”
He claimed his prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $319,396.
Alston bought the Quick Pick ticket at the Quick Mart on Wake Forest Highway in Durham.
Ticket sales from games like Cash 5 made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $634 million for the state last year. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in Durham County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.